Dominion: Storm Over Gift 3 is a real-time strategy game developed by Ion Storm and 7th Level. The game is a derivative of the action game G-NOME. Dominion contains all races from G-NOME - humans, scorpions, darkens and mercenaries.

Gameplay

One aspect of the gameplay is that the races are not equal. Darken powers are more powerful, but build slower; Scorpios' powers are worth much less in terms of production, but weaker than the rest of the races; Mercenary soldiers are more difficult to control, but they shoot more accurately; finally, the human race is a balanced extract of all other races. In addition, it should be said that each race gets a unique type of weapon / vehicle. Darkens are a "disguised" vehicle that makes other vehicles invisible. Mercenaries have a device that turns enemy towers and tanks into allies. People have a Cat that "freezes" the enemy's machine forces, preventing them from shooting. Scorpions have an Excavator, an underground vehicle that takes up to 6 people to any visible place on the playing field. Each of these vehicles is extremely vulnerable - an infantryman with a rifle in some cases can destroy it in one shot.

The game has sets of 12 missions (campaigns) for each race, in which the opponent, controlled by artificial intelligence, has people / machines / military forces of the next level. For example, when a player has light infantry and turrets with machine guns, the computer opponent has people with bazookas and towers with rocket launchers. The game presents a list of mission objectives to complete; some goals require certain tasks to be completed, such as recapturing a fallen base or rescuing a leader from prison, while others simply suggest eliminating all enemy forces.

The gameplay of the game is similar to strategies like Command & Conquer, except for the change of races to aliens. Like most real-time strategy games, the player collects and accumulates resources, defends the base, builds an army and tries to defeat enemies. Despite the fairly decent level of the game, veterans of RTS noted its boring due to the small number of unique aspects of the gameplay. Meanwhile, the complexity and uncomplicated presentation made Dominion: Storm Over Gift 3 not the best choice for newbies. Appearance the games, like the game mechanics, are also inspired by the design of Command & Conquer. The terrain looks attractive enough, including green plains, deserts, snowy areas, and, of course, volcanic wasteland, but all of these views are familiar from other RTS.

The four playable races, in fact, turn out to be quite similar to each other, despite some formal differences. So, each race has an infantry, one tank, artillery, a pair of mechanical vehicles, a pair of flying vehicles and several units of other types.

In favor of Dominion: Storm Over Gift 3, it should be said that the developers tried to bring some evolution to the genre. Many real-time strategies allow the creation of an unprotected engineering unit capable of controlling enemy buildings; Dominion: Storm Over Gift 3 is no exception, however it requires two engineers to work. The former places the virus on the enemy structure, while the latter commands it directly. A virus entering a structure negatively affects its productivity - for example, an affected refinery gives half of its resources to the enemy. The effect of the virus can be canceled by the engineer of the affected party. Also in the game there is an entertaining unit - "mobile teleporter", a vehicle that can, at will, transform into a teleport and quickly move troops from the base to a remote location.

Whether these features have positive or negative effects on the gameplay or not change it, these are the most addictive elements of the game. In all other respects, the game is like a sluggish version of Command & Conquer. The game has no particular flaws at the fundamental level, but there are few remarkable ones either.

Many articles have already been written and, since it is very popular and relatively new game, there will be even more of them. I do not want to discuss the rules in a new way (fortunately, the official guidebook is written concisely and clearly). I don’t even want to describe the game, components and common features that you will find in these reviews. I would like to tell you about my personal impressions associated with this game.

So Dominion.

It was quite difficult to miss this game on your radar - it came out of nowhere and climbed into the 6th position of the rating best games on BGG. It's even harder not to admire it - it's a card game (no small components and playing fields for which you need to free up space), it's fast (and real board gamers respect quick preparation for the game and game process) and is great for these scary individuals called "non-players", and everyone knows that the sacred mission of every geek is to convert these strange people to their faith. Dominion also has the rare feature of being "original", if not "revolutionary" in the use of game mechanics, rarely seen before (if ever before) - you do not get a ready-made deck to play as in Magic: the Gathering, you BUILD your deck DURING the game. Well, to some it sounds as much fun as filling out an income tax return, but the idea looks pretty neat, and the theme of starting small and working your way up is present in almost every successful game.

Phase 1 - It Doesn't Really Sound Convincing

I must confess to you that I personally did not find this idea too attractive, but it happened due to a misunderstanding. I thought the game was the bastard child of CCG (collectible card game) - instead of getting a starting deck and gradually strengthening with boosters (emptying your wallet), you immediately get a bunch of cards ready to use. The game does not require any high isoteric knowledge from the player BEFORE the game, all players start from scratch, they build their decks in small, easily digestible and very intuitive steps. And conversely to what it probably sounds like, this is a very interesting part, and a very simple one - you can draw money cards (to buy more cards), victory cards (which give victory points at the end of the game, but hang dead during the game) cargo), or cards of kingdoms, whose function (unlike the heaped up MtG cards, in order to understand the essence of which you need to invite three lawyers) is an intuitive bonus, which, as a rule, is no more difficult than “playing more cards"," Get more money this turn "or" take more cards ". Just.

The best way to get a feel for the game is ... ummm ... playing the game. The rules make the game seem harder than it really is. Fortunately, there is BSW where you can try the game for free and since the game is fast there it is tempting and enjoyable to try and learn. So after my complete indifference, I decided that I would read the rules carefully, play a few games at BSW, and seriously appreciate what it all means.

Phase 2 - hooked

What a cool game.

Seriously, one game at BSW and I'm interested. Second, and I was hooked. The game is great. As simple as possible, yet deep. Fast but rewarding. As soon as you finish one game, you immediately want to try another one. And all because of these maps of the kingdoms ... brilliance. At first, some things seriously surprised me (Chapel suggested that I throw my cards away - what the hell?), But then I realized the exceptional genius of the game design - you never really throw cards, you just put them back into circulation and what are you trying to achieve , so this is a pile of cards, completely filled with all sorts of goodies, so throwing cards into thrash is a very useful thing.

Quick jog to the local store. Do you have a Dominion? No. When will he appear? Cool. The order has been placed without a shadow of a doubt. This is the game that I really need in my collection.

Back to BSW, two more games, testing new combinations, experimenting ... bliss. Thank you BGG for recommending this great little game.

Phase 3 - Curse of the Stormmarket

Since I was at work, I decided that playing through BSW was wrong. I mean, playing in the workplace isn't really cool. Reading Reviews board games? Acceptable. Shut up.

And it happened. I met ... this ... (link to review "Why Dominion Doesn't Deliver)

If you have not read this topic, I will retell it in a nutshell. This Stormmarket guy doesn't really like the game. He looked through all this cool kingdom card-based deck-building mechanism and led the game to a dull conclusion - the game is not about how to build your deck - it's about how to maximize your chance of getting 8 coins in your hand as often as possible. ... And when you start looking from THIS point of view, your choice becomes depressingly simple. It boils down to this:

a) if you have 8 or more coins, buy a Province

b) if less than 8, but more than 6, buy Gold

c) if it is less than 6, buy silver or a card that is better than silver, usually one that will allow you to draw more cards into your hand. He called it "Silver Test"

d) enjoy the victory

What you said? No ... this is a tricky game, you can't turn it into ... into ... THIS !? This is a game about combinations, about testing different chips and many ways to win ...

Ugh ... I won't listen to heretics and try it myself. BSW, a game for four experienced players. Go!

The first game ... I have 45 points, opponents have 42, 36 and 29. Congratulations on a great game.

Good game? All I did was stupidly repeat the above points a), b), c). I bought one Moat on my first turn (because it gave me two extra cards) and then until the end of the game I only bought Provinces, Gold, Silver and, occasionally, Council Room (4 extra cards). I didn't even bother to read the rest of the kingdom cards or see what my opponents are doing.

Another batch. I won again. Next. Victory.

It can not be true! Dominion ... corrupted?

Phase 4 - it's tomorrow

I'm sure there is some mistake here. After all, there is a Thief card that should effectively destroy this strategy. Although no one played her against me, she looks quite intimidating. I guess. But nevertheless, I do not want this strategy to exist at all! The game shouldn't have this easy way win!

I still hope this is all coincidence. That this Stormmarket guy just stumbled on one of many, many paths to victory, and after a while people will laugh at its simplicity and at the days when poor noobs thought they could win easily. But still ... When I play with my friends, should I push them to experiment with combinations and not even hint at the existence of the "Silver Test"? Or should I force them to use it, and I myself will try to neutralize this method in various ways? Whatever it is, this is not what I signed up for.

What's next? I dont know. I still think this is a great game. Its simplicity still shines - simple, fast, easy to teach newbies, quick to deploy and assemble, many possibilities and strategies. However, this "Silver Test" somehow killed the game in me. I hate to play sub-optimal, but I also hate it when the optimal way to play is so ... dumb. Probably. What I'm sure of is that he is not like that. It just doesn't have to be like that.

Hmm ... I submitted this article for moderation as a review, so I need to say a few words in conclusion. My suggestions? Try the game. Definitely try it. Read the rules, open BSW, play a couple of games, after all, you don't have to pay for it. Better yet, buy it. With or without a silver test, you should most likely purchase a game based on such obvious merits. And I really cannot say that I am sure that this game will remain loved. Although I hope so.

Thursday, May 5, 2016

And now for something completely similar.

Dominion: Storm Over Gift 3 is Ion Storm's first entry into the RTS market. A supposedly messianic artifact of great power rests on the surface of Gift 3 (some planet in some faraway solar system), and four major races vie for its possession. Only the smallest of landing parties may reach the ground of the planet, forcing military expeditions to construct their own bases on the surface of Gift 3.

Dominion introduces some nice elements to the real-time hoarder genre. Infantry can duck, crawl, or kneel to enhance their combat performance, and unit Commanders can accompany battlegroups for better autonomous reactions. A simple but nonetheless present officer command structure is unfortunately always automatically targeted by all computer units. Infantry is also pivotal in battles, lending firepower by sheer numbers.

A functional power supply system rewards those who strike at critical base points: entire sections of a base may be shut down when an energy umbilical is destroyed. The same umbilicals form chained power lines to remote resources, introducing some concerns for patrolling and remote fortification. It is unfortunate that these wells dry up after a while-a cue from Dark Reign would have been welcome here. Bridges for crossing bodies of water at preordained points and defense tower energy screens for barring enemy movements round out the notable advances.

All of these little details add to the gameplay, but in the end it all fails because of Dominion's predictably formulaic mission structure. Traversing this rigid ever-increasing difficulty hierarchy is a frustrating undertaking, each success rewarding you with odds more impossible. Even on the lower levels of difficulty it's a rough trip.

And the invariable key to completing a mission is not out-thinking the computer or outfighting it, but out-exploring it. In every setting, uncovering the fogged map will dictate in which direction you must build to keep the money flowing, an element increasingly sparse for you and consistently seemingly inexhaustible for your computer opponent. Learn the map or die trying. For what it is, it works. All of the minor innovations cannot save this title from mediocrity though. Get it if you want a challenging RTS or grab something more worthwhile, like Dark Reign or StarCraft.

Dominion: Storm over the Gift 3 Is a 2D real-time strategy game created by developer Ion Storm and released in 1998.

At the center of events is a war for resources between four powerful coalitions of different races, each of which wants to dominate the planet. In terms of plot, in general, everything is standard for RTS, but here's what is interesting. Dominion is a spin-off of another game - G-nome which, in turn, was created by 7th Legion (which John Ivanovich Romero worked hard for). Actually, Todd Porter worked on both projects - first at 7th Legion, and then at Ion Storm. In general, this is a strategy covering events in the same universe as G-nome... Only this time, we will survey the conflict with more global point vision.

Well, I must admit that the design of heavy equipment inherited from G-nome, very peculiar, and ... it's a compliment. The guys from IonStorm did not reinvent the wheel, but took a high-quality idea, worked on a new 3D model of the furs, rendered, and voila ... The graphics in the game turned out to be stunning!

Models of furs (and not only furs - tanks, soldiers, buildings) are really made on high level, for this I want to praise Dominion at least twice more. The buildings don't look boring either. Everything is animated: gears are spinning, lights are blinking and so on. Soldiers are generally a separate conversation. Unlike many strategies, you can order them to lie down or squat on one knee. Game cards are varied and filled with many small details. A bunch of different trees, pebbles and other things, while in a huge variety and to the place.

The main menu of the game is incredibly well executed. It is fully animated: pressing any button triggers an action animation and sets various objects in motion on the screen. It is very difficult to describe as it looks really great; you have to see it yourself in order to understand.

The musical accompaniment did not disappoint either. The music is good! The sounds during the battles do not cause absolutely any complaints and help to convey the atmosphere of the war to the fullest.

Well, I praised the game. But, unfortunately, everything I mentioned above is just a spoonful of honey. Now let's talk about a barrel of tar.

It just so happened that the main criterion for the popularity of real-time strategies is gameplay. And Dominion is no exception. It is sad to admit it, but such a high-quality work with graphics, history, design and music is completely ruined by clumsy management, uniformity and balance.

For starters, all four races are exactly the same. The same structure of buildings, the same units. That is, they all look different, but differ so slightly in characteristics that the difference is almost imperceptible. In principle, I can easily forgive the similarity of buildings and units - this is not the worst thing for strategy games. The worst is yet to come.

Balance. It is difficult to describe what is not. How do you like the fact that the scariest unit is the regular grenadier? It is so cheap to build that it can be built in batches; three grenadiers destroy one tank in one volley, while their firing range is greater than that of tanks!

In principle, the firing range here is quite large for all units, but the view is three times less. It would seem that there is a scout in the game who sees the farthest, and it is logical that the detachment of blind grenadiers needs to be supplemented with reconnaissance. But there is no fog of war in the game. Well, that is, it seems to be there, but having once reconnoitered a section of the map, you will see what is happening there until the end of the game.

Artificial intelligence drives the test nail into the coffin lid. And not the AI ​​of the computer, but the AI ​​of your own soldiers, who are not even able to carry out a simple order. Not only do they like to choose not the most short route from point A to point B, so they are not yet able to unfold independently in battle. Yes, yes, you can turn the soldiers personally using the arrow keys on your keyboard. If ordinary soldiers still have a hard time understanding, then armored assault infantry "dumb" in black. They turn so slowly that you can fall asleep. At the same time, they cannot turn on the go, they need to stop, turn around and continue moving. And the most offensive thing is that an ordinary soldier is three times cheaper and does his job better and faster.

The fact that the units have a very long cooldown also adds "idiocy". This is not so noticeable in mass battles, but when 10 fighters are involved in a shootout, both sides shoot, and then just stand and look at each other for 5-6 seconds! It's easy to imagine how negatively this sometimes affects the dynamics of the entire game as a whole, and if you add the aforementioned reluctance to follow your orders ...

The only thing that I have no complaints about is the tank. An ordinary damn tank! If all units were tanks in this game, then I would call Dominion one of the best strategies of 1998. Tanks - they are great! They drive wherever you order, turn the tower, shoot on the move at everything ... in a word - handsome!

The release of the game was also not very successful. Probably everyone knows what other strategy came out in parallel with many in 1998, right? Of course, we are talking about Starcraft... That year, Blizzard's brainchild went around the world like a reaper with a scythe, ruining many great RTSs with its glory, not to mention mid-range projects like Dominion. Although even if we imagine for a moment an alternative reality in which Blizzard would not exist at all, then this strategy would still never be the leader. The game could have turned out better, had it been released in 1999, with a refined and perfected balance ... but, alas, the era of 3D strategies will finally gain strength next year, and games like Dominion, will not be particularly relevant in the computer games market. We can say that Dominion is the “last of the Mohicans” in the genre of “K.K.n.D.-like” strategies.

OK. He praised the game, scolded the game. What conclusion can be drawn? Is it really that bad !? Well ... let me finally tell you the reason why it could even be played once.

If you once played the predecessor of the universe G-nome, there is still a good story here (there are not many videos, of course, but they are of high quality, plus briefings). You can turn on an easy level of difficulty and go through campaigns without much stress (of which 4 - one for each race). So to speak, enjoy the beauty and smash everyone to hell! Yes, it's definitely worth a try. Especially if you treat strategies like a one-off adventure and don't go into the details of the balance and the small nuances of the game. Well, or just want to play a beautiful RTS and enjoy a little story. Otherwise, I strongly advise against playing.

You are on the page of the game Dominion: Storm over Gift3, created in the Strategy genre, where you can find a lot of useful information... The game was released by the studio Ion Storm. The walkthrough of the game Dominion: Storm over Gift3 found with us will help you quickly solve in-game problems and get tips on difficult moments. Also for the game Dominion: Storm over Gift3 codes and cheats are essential for everyone who likes to receive free bonuses.

Considering that the game Dominion: Storm over Gift3 was not released in Russian, you obviously need a crack to make the game clearer, because the passage on native language much nicer. You will play alone, going through each stage without any help.

Reader reviews and reviews will help you figure out if a game is worth your time. Considering that the game was released on 1998-01-01, we can say that it belongs to the category of classics.

In addition to general information, you may need a variety of files. Use add-ons when you are tired of the main plot - they will significantly expand the standard features. Mods and patches will help diversify and fix the gameplay. You can download them in our file storage.